A standard economy-class-type passenger seat for an aircraft comprises of a seat bottom, a reclining seat back and armrests, all supported by structural frames mounted on a laterally spaced-apart leg assembly. The leg assembly has, amongst others, two important roles in the structural make-up of a passenger seat, which may be summarized as:                1. To keep the seats in position along the floor.        2. To be crashworthy to absorb energy during the unlikely event of an impact.        
The survivability of passengers during crash of an aircraft will depend on direct loading on the human body, such as lumbar load, degree of impact on the head, which is commonly measured as a Head Injury Criterion (HIC), which affects consciousness of the passenger, and passageway that allows for passenger egression. For example, in a crash or collision scenario, a 14 g downward load and/or a 16 g forward load may be experienced.
One of the most common causes of injuries experienced in an aircraft collision/crash is by excessive initial loads caused by deceleration, for which loads the materials of the aircraft's underlying support structures and their ability to dissipate energy are the main factors. A leg assembly that is too stiff may be able to prevent the seat from collapsing on itself during a crash, keeping the occupants safe from being crushed. However, that stiffness in turn may cause damage to the vital internal organs and spinal column of the passenger, as little energy is attenuated or absorbed during the incident. Conversely, if the leg assembly is too flexible, it would overly deform and fail in a crash.
In a conventional design, the seat leg assembly typically consists of a front leg, a rear leg and a connecting member between the front and rear legs. The front and rear legs are standing on the floor, while the connecting member is off the floor. In one proposed design, the front leg, rear leg and connecting member are designed as an integral member as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,522,640.
A need therefore exists to provide a leg assembly for a passenger seat which can provide at least an alternative to existing leg assembly designs, and preferably with improved load distribution and energy absorption capabilities.